Administrated Biographies: Imagining the Future in a New Country vs Living It: When Future Becomes Present and Past

Research on OECD countries shows that migrants in most regions have on average worse outcomes than the native-born population in areas such as education attainment and labour market participation (OECD, 2017). Migration, acculturation strategies, and various factors influencing the acculturation outcomes have been extensively studied in psychology as well as in sociology and further social sciences. However, most psychological studies have been carried out using the cross-cultural psychology methodology and therefore applied a static definition of culture, when culture becomes a label and not the process. The aim of the present interdisciplinary study was to explore subjective time concepts as a part of the migrants’ cultural capital, which influences the individual’s opportunities, biographies, and the feelings of belonging through in-depth interviews. The participants were migrants (both from EU and non-EU countries) residing in Denmark for various periods (newly arrived, 2 to 5 years, 5 to 10 years, and over 10 years). Further, participants were asked to discuss identity conflicts that arose during their time in Denmark, which could impede their integration. The theoretical concept of time-collage (Schilling, 2005, 2008) was applied, describing the diversity of time approaches and possibilities for individuals in learning a transcultural time approach. Temporal horizons (Ledgerwood, Trope, Liberman 2015) was an important concept in determining how the participants imagine their future and its role in integration. We observed various emotional responses to everyday challenges depending on if the desired image of the future could be accomplished or not. The study also explored acculturation strategies through the individual’s representation of the future as an object. The meaning of the subjective time concept for a successful integration of migrants is further discussed.